Monday, November 16, 2009

Nature's Elusive Totality

I'm noticing how Nature does things. She crafts every detail from a galaxy to an insect with care. Each form, color, texture and sound is exquisitely suited to its function. Each gesture of an ocean wave or a bird's flight is living poetry. Each thing is so entwined with every other thing that it is impossible to tell where the life of a frog ends and the life of the pond where it lives and the flies it eats begins. Yet, with all the care and craft, Nature doesn't seem to be attached to a single thing she creates. Whatever she forms, she reforms. Whatever she plants she uproots. Whatever she spawns she dissolves.

I'm noticing that all the change, the gain and loss, doesn't diminish or expand nature one bit. All this becoming and unbecoming, this shattering and flowing unfolds within Nature's completeness. Her sandbox has no limits. She's not confined in the extent of her expansiveness. She's also not confined to the layers and details of the boundaries she creates within the sandbox. Wherever Nature goes, she's definitely there, in her elusive totality.

Like all great observations, this corresponds both above and below I think. I bet if we could fast forward a few billion eye-twinkles we'd see anabolism and catabolism of galaxies- forming, dissolving, reforming, like clouds of the sky. Likewise subatomic particles twinkle in and out of being. Even water, the root of life, rhythmically dissolves and reforms internally, all the time.

Thanks, Michael. Yes, the great mystery of nature is how it appears to devour itself to continue. By eating it lives. The archetypal image of the Ouroboros, the serpent swallowing its own tail to continue the life cycle, sums it up, opens it up and mystifies it at the same time.

Tony, This post so beautifully describes the creation/destruction cycle of Kali. Your writing is eloquent. Thank you for noticing the similarities of our blog posts and directing me to your gorgeous site.Blessings,Julie

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About Me

I'm an architect and author, writing this blog to explore the following questions—How do we live well on this planet? Confronted with the greed, ignorance and fear shaping much of the world, how can we find openings to dwelling here with wisdom, connection, creativity and delight? Looking into these questions reflects my passion for understanding how our thoughts and actions shape buildings and cities. My two books—THE TEMPLE IN THE HOUSE and A HOME FOR THE SOUL—examine the idea of design as a language of human experience. This blog expands these connections to explore how imagination influences what we build in nature. In turn, it looks into ways nature can open our imaginations to more inspiring, sustainable and creative ways of dwelling here now. Let me know what you think.